What is the passing of light or another wave through matter referred to as?

The passing of light or another wave through matter is referred to as transmission. This occurs when a wave encounters a medium and continues to propagate through it without being absorbed or reflected. Transmission is a fundamental concept in physics because it describes how waves, such as light or sound, travel through different materials, which can have various effects on their speed and direction.

When light travels through materials like glass or water, it enters the material, and this process can result in changes to the wave properties, such as speed and wavelength. For instance, when light enters water from air, it slows down and bends due to differences in the optical densities of the two mediums. Understanding transmission is crucial for applications in optics, telecommunications, and other fields where wave behavior is significant.

In contrast, other terms such as reflection, refraction, or diffraction refer to different phenomena involving waves. Reflection pertains to the bouncing back of waves when they hit a surface, refraction describes the bending of waves as they pass from one medium to another, and diffraction involves the spreading of waves when they encounter an obstacle or pass through a narrow opening. Each of these processes describes distinct interactions between waves and matter.